This invention relates to a multi-picture image printing system in which a film or like recording medium carrying a plurality of recorded pictures is loaded, these pictures are read from the recording medium and printed on a specified sheet.
In recent years, there have been known laboratory systems for hard-copying pictures recorded on a developed film so that these pictures can be used as indices or the like. More specifically, the developed film is loaded in printing apparatus and the photographed pictures are read and printed on a sheet of specified size after being arranged in a specified layout. The printed sheet is kept together with the film, for example, until a depositor comes back to pick them up.
In the existing laboratory systems, the films and the print sheets are handled separately. Considering that pictures recorded on a multitude of films are printed, the films and print sheets may be paired in incorrect correspondence, thereby necessitating the checking of the correspondence. Particularly, since the negative film is returned with being contained in a cartridge, it cannot be looked without a special operation, making it extremely difficult to check the correspondence.